Racing for Time
by Steampunk Kid
Summary: Tavi Wayward and Jack Bruno live near Las Vegas and are both trying to make enough money to make the rent. Both have a scary past involving the crime boss, Mr. Wolfe, and both are thrown into an adventure that will cause even more chaos to come crashing down on them. NOTE: Sara and Seth are a little older in this version. No OC/Seth… not yet anyway.
1. Traveling

Tavi looked up from her book to see Jack's taxicab drive up to her curb. She placed her bookmark in her book, _The Cellist of Sarajevo,_ and threw it in her shoulder bag as she walked towards the car.

"Thanks for the pickup, Jack." She smiled as she sat in the passenger seat.

"How was work?" Jack placed his hand on the shift but didn't move it. He gave her a smile.

Tavi shrugged, "Okay, I guess. Just routine, nothing out of the ordinary." She placed her bag on the floor on the car. "The place was dead so I finally got to fix that clock I've been telling you about."

Jack nodded and looked to the road. It was quiet for a few minutes until Jack spoke up.

"You know I probably could find you a better paying job outside of-"

Tavi knew this had been coming, "Jack." She warned. "I've told you many times I have no problem working in an antique shop. I've actually really come to like it. The people are kind and the work is honest." She was telling the truth. She enjoyed the peace and quiet of the dusty tiny store, tucked away near the outskirts of the city.

Jack opened his mouth to speak when the back door of the car opened. Tavi twisted in her seat to see –okay, this was weird- two men dressed in clone trooper costumes enter the car. Their costumes seemed to limit their movements as they jostled the car to sit in the back.

"Imperial droid," one of the men started, "drive your Geonosian starfighter to Planet… Hollywood!" Both men immediately began to laugh.

Jack looked to Tavi. She mouthed the word, 'Wow' and rolled her eyes making Jack smile as he shifted the car to drive. Before he stepped on the gas petal the 'storm troopers' began acting out some sort of battle in the back seat, making gunshot noises and speaking gibberish. Tavi rolled her eyes again. They must be drunk.

Jack grabbed the guns from the 'troopers' earning a yell from the nerds. He used the guns to pull down the flap above her seat to show the 'No Weapons Allowed' sign. Tavi heard the men scoff but then turn silent. Tavi smiled towards Jack and mouthed, 'Thank you.' Jack nodded and then pulled the car out onto the road.

The rest of the ride was quiet and once we reached our destination Jack threw the guns out the window, onto the sidewalk, as the men exited the car. Jack immediately set the car back in motion as the two nuts shouted in anger.

"Well that was fun." Tavi spoke sarcastically earning a groan from Jack.

"What say we head back, drop off the cab and head home?"

Tavi nodded. "Sounds good. Wanna watch a movie tonight?"

"As long as it isn't Star Trek, I'm up for one."

Tavi frowned. She loved science fiction stories, especially Star Trek. She shrugged, "Well I guess we can put our thirty-day marathon on hold for tonight."

Jack smiled.

They had almost reached the taxicab central, as Tavi liked to call it, when a woman waved them to the side of the road.

Jack groaned again, "One last passenger and then we'll call it quits, ok?"

Tavi looked at the car's clock, 10:45 PM. She shrugged, "Fine by me. But if we get back home after midnight I'm heading straight for bed."

The woman had a suitcase put into the back of the taxi as she entered into the rear of the cab. She had short black hair that framed her face nicely, Tavi thought. Her grey jacket, black pants, black heels and black purse made her seem professional. Tavi's curiosity peaked.

"Planet Hollywood, please."

Aaaannndd curiosity crashed. Tavi frowned. What would a smart looking woman like her want to do with a nutty place like that?

Jack looked slightly annoyed, having just driven back from there. Nevertheless, he shifted the car into drive and headed to their previous stop.

As they neared the location the familiar lights of the buzzing alien convention became visible.

"They've got everything here." The woman broke the silence. She sounded like she was going to Disneyland. "This place is truly like being on another planet."

Tavi snickered, "You got that right." She twisted in her seat to face the woman, "Hi, I'm Tavi." She extended her hand.

"Alex." The woman gave a friendly smile and shook her hand. She glanced at Jack and then back to Tavi, "Do you usually ride with your dad during his shifts?"

Jack scoffed.

Tavi chuckled, "He's not my dad, more like a good friend." She quickly changed the subject, "He just picked me up from work, actually. I work at Dolly's Treasure."

Alex cocked her head to one side, "What's that?"

"An antique store." Tavi smiled when Alex raised an eyebrow. "It's just outside Sin City."

"Oh." Alex replied. She looked out the window, making it clear that antiques didn't intrigue her. At the sight of all the shops, hotels, and casinos the woman's excitement seemed to be returning. Her smile widened and her eyes seemed to be trying to take in all the details.

"Like what you see?" Tavi asked.

Alex nodded, "With all this to see every night, you guys must never be bored."

Tavi smiled and then sank back into her seat while glancing at Jack. He looked tired and he glanced in her direction with a look that said 'you wanna bet?' Tavi bit her tongue to hold back a giggle.

Once the cab halted in front of the Space Expo Jack put the car in park. He kept his gaze on the road as he spoke, "Welcome to the nutjob convention."

Tavi smiled.

"I understand your reaction." Alex stated, still sounding like a girl in candy land. "They certainly aren't helping our cause."

Jack twisted in his seat to look back, "Our cause?"

Tavi turned to look back as well to see the woman pause. There seemed to be hesitancy in her gaze, as though she regretted what she said.

"Educating the public on the legitimate possibility of life on other planets."

Oh. Tavi's smile faltered. Suddenly the professional image of this woman seemed to be deteriorating very fast.

"As a matter of fact, I'm giving a lecture on Astrophysical Anomaly Detection," she extended a flier towards Jack, "at the 'nutjob convention.'"

Yep, professional image gone. Tavi sat back in her seat as Jack took the flyer.

"Feel free to stop by. Close-minded skeptics are always welcome. Keep the change."

"Thanks." Jack replied as the woman finally left. He lifted the pamphlet for them both to see it. "Dr. Alex Friedman."

"Maybe you could give her tips on finding a more productive job." Tavi smiled.

Jack seemed lost in thought for a moment, which didn't bother Tavi. Every now and then Jack would loose focus of the present but eventually he'd find his way back.

"Uh, classic." He stated and turned the car around.

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**So here is my first installment of my version of the movie Race to Witch Mountain. Hope you liked it! Let me know if you have any cool ideas of where the story could go. What is Tavi's past in Wolfe's gang? How and when did Tavi and Jack first meet? And so on.**

**Or you could just let me know if you like it or not. Either your feedback would be awesome! Next installment should be out by Monday.**

**See you around!**


	2. Meeting Strangers

"Oh come on!" As Tavi continued to try and rescue her blackened French toast she growled in frustration. She never was good at cooking. She always got lost in thought, which ended up with something getting burned.

As the fire alarm went off Tavi cursed and grabbed a placemat to try and steer the smoke away from the alarm. The neighbors upstairs began to pound the floor and shouting various curses.

As soon as the fire alarm ceased Jack ran into the kitchen. He looked upset with his eyes giving her that knowing look. Tavi sighed, placed the mat on the table, and collapsed in one of the two kitchen table chairs.

"Good morning." Tavi said in a monotone.

Jack shook his head and ran a hand threw his extremely short black hair.

"Tavi, you know we've been threatened to be kicked out if we continue causing havoc."

Tavi grabbed her mug of tea and took a sip. It had gone cold but she didn't care.

Jack, still dressed in his pajamas, sat across the table from her. He stared at her, "Why do you constantly try to cook? You know you burn everything, including water." He smiled.

Tavi knew he was trying to lighten the mood but she didn't have the will to play along.

She stared out the window, "It's been a year."

Jack tensed. He looked to the table and nodded slowly in comprehension. "That's why."

As Jack raised his head, Tavi made eye contact. The tears were threatening to break through her defenses.

She sniffed and took another sip of her cold tea. "He loved to cook, you know." Jack nodded. "He said that the one thing that could make your day was a bright and cheerful breakfast."

Jack got up and walked to the oven. He picked up the pan and glanced at the burnt toast before dumping it in the trash. "You should have told me you wanted French toast." He put the pan in the sink and then opened the fridge. "I could have made you some." He began rummaging through the fridge, as though looking for something.

"We're out of eggs." Tavi placed her mug on the table.

"No we aren't. I just bought some the other night." He continued moving condiments aside.

"Jack."

He paused and made eye contact.

Tavi pointed towards the oven where a full carton of a dozen eggs lay. Each hole was filled with a cracked opened eggshell.

Jack straightened, his eyes widened, and then he looked back to her incredulously. "You're kidding me right? You used all twelve eggs to make French toast?"

That's when Tavi smiled. It was a small one but then stretched into a wider grin that grew into a laugh.

Jack stayed silent for a few seconds and then smiled. He chuckled and then threw the carton into the trash.

"Come on." He encouraged as he turned the kitchen light off. "Go get dressed and then we'll go out to eat."

Tavi stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow, "You serious?" She couldn't remember the last time she ate at a restaurant.

Jack nodded, "We'll take the taxi and head to Becky's Diner for breakfast. I'm pretty sure they won't have burnt French toast on the menu. Okay?"

Tavi smiled and pushed her chair back as she stood. She picked up her mug and walked to the sink. As she placed it in the sink Jack left the kitchen to get dressed.

She left the kitchen and walked past the bathroom. She then entered into the second bedroom in the apartment, her bedroom.

After a shower she decided to dress in her favorite steampunk inspired outfit. The outfit consisted of a light brown dressy t-shirt with an old styled gray vest. She wore light blue jeans and black sneakers. As for accessories she wore a brown 'newsie' styled hat, a necklace with a bright blue pendant, a silver bracelet, vintage earrings, and brown knitted fingerless gauntlets.

Her purse was a tannish-yellowish color with light brown straps. Inside she placed her wallet, her apartment keys, a sketchbook and pencil and her book.

Tavi grabbed the handle to leave her room and then paused. She looked at the ground and sighed. She shouldn't bring it and yet she hated leaving without it. Ever since that day one year ago she hated the idea of never being able to protect herself. Other than Jack she found it hard to trust other people, other men specifically. She sighed again and then turned back around and headed to her bed.

Underneath the bed, hidden within the spring mattress was a small handgun. Tavi knew Jack would not approve of her carrying a weapon as lethal as a gun and yet it gave her confidence. She knew she couldn't have Jack around to always protect. Sooner or later she would be on her own and she wanted to be prepared.

She stuffed the gun in her purse and then ran through the house to catch up with Jack.

Breakfast had done exactly what it was meant to do, start the morning out right. Tavi had two slices of French toast with a glass of orange juice while Jack had a large cup of coffee, two sunny-side up eggs and toast. Afterwards Jack offered to drive Tavi to work with his cab and they both headed towards the taxi parking lot. Both Tavi and Jack took their beverages to go and were heading towards the taxi when they both noticed a black SUV parked in front of the cab.

Tavi stopped in her tracks while Jack walked up to the car.

"You guys gotta move this thing. I've gotta go. Come on."

The passenger door of the black car opened and out stepped an African-American giant.

"Jack!" The man sounded like he was greeting an old friend.

Tavi ducked behind the cab and hid by the passenger door of the taxi. It was Cub, Wolfe's newest right hand man. She reached inside her purse and grasped the gun but did not pull it out of her purse yet.

"You don't return phone calls anymore?" Cub asked.

"Mr. Wolfe thinks you're being rude." Tavi felt her breathing speed up and she lightly tapped her head against the door of the car. The second voice belonged to Lee Boswell, she was certain. Yet another man she did not want to ever see again. Her grip on the weapon tightened.

She bit her lip as she continued listening to the conversation.

Jack spoke up this time, "Well tell Wolfe that when I said it was the last time, I meant it."

Cub was quick to respond, "Mr. Wolfe decides when it's the last time. Not you, Jack."

"He likes you Jackie." Lee piped in. "Hates to see you wasting your God-given talent giving fat tourists rides up and down the Strip. Buddy, what kind of life is that?"

_An honest one!_ Tavi wanted to shout. She began trying to bring her breathing under control by taking long, quiet, breaths.

"It's one I'm later for." Jack answered. There was a pause following afterward.

Tavi slowly began to stand. She peaked over the hood of the car to see both thugs giving Jack a glare. In a split second Jack slapped Cub in the face and elbowed Lee in the gut. Tavi held her breath as Jack slammed their heads to rest on the hood of his cab.

Tavi smiled as the two thieves struggled to get loose.

"You've got a death wish?" Cub spoke through clenched teeth.

Jack leaned forward to whisper in the man's ear, "I drive a cab in Vegas." He released his hold on the men and turned to climb into his car.

Cub held his nose with one hand and reached inside his coat with the other, "You're dead, Jack."

"Stop right there." Tavi commanded. She pointed her gun at the men, her weapon cocked and ready to fire. Both thugs froze were they stood.

"Tavi?" Jack looked at her with wide eyes.

"Tavi?" Lee echoed and raised his eyebrows. He grinned and narrowed his eyes, "So you two deserters are still hanging out?" He shrugged, "Nevertheless, I'm sure Wolfe would love to have you and your skills back in his employment."

Tavi ignored Jack's shocked and confused expression. She clenched her teeth and looked at the bald African-American. "Tell me something, Cub."

The man raised an eyebrow.

"Why shouldn't I kill you right here and now?"

Both Cub and Lee tensed at this and raised their hands in surrender.

Tavi motioned to the SUV with her gun and continued to glare at them, "Get in your car and get out of here. You tell Wolfe that Jack and I are done with his little gang and we aren't going back."

Both men backed away and headed towards their car. Tavi kept her gun aimed at them until they drove away in their car and then she lowered her gun.

She turned and looked at Jack, gun in one hand.

"Get in the car." Jack said sternly and slammed the driver-side door shut.

Tavi sighed and picked up her purse before slipping in the car on the passenger side.

Jack turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the taxi zone. For a little while nothing was said. Tavi almost believed Jack was going to let it slide. However, she wasn't quite so lucky.

"Where did you get a gun?" Jack spoke through clenched teeth and Tavi knew he was trying to remain calm.

Tavi considered her options. She could lie. She found it? It was an antique from the store so it was a hoax? She made it? But Jack had known her for two and a half years. He knew if she would be lying. Tavi glanced out the window and looked at her reflection in her rear-view mirror. Then she glanced at the car's clock before whipping her head to look back at the mirror. Someone was sitting in the backseat of the taxi.

Tavi twisted in her seat to face the intruder. Her eyebrows shot up as she came face to face with two young adults, one male and one female.

"Jack." She said quickly.

Jack glanced in the rear-view mirror and slammed on the brakes, making Tavi hug her seat so as not to loose her balance in her twisted position.

Both of the stowaways looked similar to each other, as though they might be related to each other. They both had blonde hair and blue eyes. The young man wore a dark brown shirt with a dark green hoody and dusty dark blue jeans. The woman wore a lighter green jacket, black shirt underneath, and a rustic brown pair of pants. Both of their faces were slightly dirty.

"Where'd you come from?" Jack asked with wide eyes.

Tavi wondered if they saw their interaction with Wolfe's men. Did they know she had a gun?

"Ou-outside." Was the young man's response.

Tavi's eyes narrowed at the obvious remark.

"Yeah I figured that on my own." Jack voiced her thoughts. "How did you get in the car?"

Tavi cocked her head and looked to Jack. That wasn't the best question in the world.

"Through that portal." The woman said as both she and the man pointed to the door.

Tavi raised her eyebrows and sat up straighter. That wasn't the best answer in the world, either. "Portal?"

"I'm Seth." The man began, "this is my sister, Sara. We require transportation services immediately."

"Really?" Jack asked, clearly confused. "Well, I require-"

The woman cut Jack off, "Currency transaction!"

Tavi raised one eyebrow and narrowed one eye. Who talks like this?

"Will this not suffice?" The young man asked while revealing a handful of…. One hundred dollar bills.

"Whoa." Tavi said while contemplating on whether to touch the money or not. Real one hundred dollar bills? She never saw them accept when…

"What, did you two rob a bank?" Jack asked, once again voicing her thoughts. He glanced in her direction.

Tavi suddenly became aware of the cars blaring their horns behind their car.

"Is this acceptable, Jack Bruno?" The woman asked.

"How'd you know my name?" Jack followed Sara's pointing finger to see she had read his Taxi Driver's Permit.

"If we have a deal for your services," Seth began talking again. Man this guy could talk fast. "We must move forward rapidly." As well as a strange way of talking, his parents must be English scholars or something. "It's urgent we get to our destination without delay."

Jack noticed the honking horns as well as he semi-shouted, "All right. I'm going." And put the car in drive. Jack glanced towards Tavi and shrugged. Tavi returned the shrug. She didn't need to get to work for another hour anyway.

"Where to?" Jack asked.

Tavi slowly returned to a proper sitting position, still contemplating everything that happened. She turned her head to get another glimpse of the big wad of cash to see Seth had placed the money in his pocket and was now fiddling around with some sort of Gameboy. Tavi frowned, typical boy.

"I need an address." Jack broke the silence.

"We must travel in that direction." Sara pointed ahead of them, slightly to the right.

Tavi looked at Jack with her 'can-you-believe-this' look while Jack glanced to the back row seat.

"I'm gonna need something more specific than just 'that direction'." Jack stated. Tavi held back a snicker. What were these kids up to?

"We must locate latitude four O point five four, cross-intersecting longitude-"

Jack cut Seth off with a wave of his hand, "We're just gonna stick with 'that direction'." Seriously what was this kid's problem with speaking like he was in the middle of a serious presentation or something? And was that device a Gameboy or a GPS?

Tavi shook her head. It really didn't matter. Once they reached whatever destination they were heading to they would leave and Jack and her would be back to their every day lives, nothing different. Tavi shifted in her seat and glanced at Jack to find him looking at her.

"We are not done discussing what happened earlier. We will talk about it later." Jack said firmly before looking back to the road.

Tavi frowned. She didn't want to talk to the two weirdoes in the back. Granted they had good looks but once they started talking it just got plain bizarre and now Jack was upset with her. This was going to be a long and awkwardly silent drive.

She grabbed her purse and dug out her sketchpad and pencil. She opened to the next blank page and stared at the page. What would she draw? She glanced at the rear-view mirror and saw the passengers in silent conversation with each other. On second glance it actually seemed like they were just staring at each other, yet another bizarre observation.

Tavi looked down at her paper and began to loosely sketch two circles parallel to each other but fairly distant. Tavi continued to steal glances up at the mirror while continuing to draw these two young strangers. They intrigued her, she could not explain why. Though the young man seemed rude and stiff. The woman seemed friendly, in a safe sort of way. It was almost as if this 'Sara' immediately trusted Tavi and Jack despite knowing them for… Tavi looked at the clock… 20 minutes. Tavi tried to remember the times when she used to trust strangers, or felt safe around them anyway.

As she started to layout the basic outlines of the young man's face, Tavi couldn't help but notice how handsome this guy was. His short, crew-cut, blonde hair gave him a soldier kind of appearance. His crystal clear blue eyes were stern and alert. However, whenever they turned to his sister they seemed to turn soft as though he was her guardian. Tavi wished she had had an older sibling to guide her and protect her in the past.

Tavi moved on to draw Sara's hair and drew long lines that reached about four inches past her shoulders. Another stolen glance made Tavi start to feel slightly envious of the young woman she did have beautiful hair. Tavi wished she had such smooth hair.

"Your hair is very pretty."

Tavi jumped, making a light mark across her drawing, as Sara broke the silence. Tavi turned her head to stare at the woman. That was weird, they had been thinking the same thing?

"Uhh, thanks." Tavi replied slowly. She was about to turn back in her seat when she remembered her manners, "I think yours is very pretty as well. Is it naturally straight?"

Sara smiled. Tavi found it to be slightly uncomfortable in the suddenly extremely small car. The woman nodded, "Indeed. It is custom, where I am from, to have your hair reflect your parents. Though, personally, I believe my mother's hair is much more elegant than mine."

Tavi cocked her head to one side, "And where are you from?"

"That information is not for you to know." Seth shot back.

Tavi leaned back, slightly surprised by the man's outburst.

Sara looked at her brother sadly and then smiled, apologetically, towards Tavi. "Do you like to draw?"

Again Tavi looked at Sara with an astonished look. How could such a nice looking, friendly, girl be so creepy? Sara's smile faltered for a moment causing Tavi to answer before the silence got to be insulting.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." She closed her sketchbook in her lap, as though fearful they might see it. "It's something to pass the time. I've been doing it for about three years now."

"Have you thought about going to school for it?" Sara asked, again that friendly smile was present.

Tavi smirked and shrugged, "Ah school is too overwhelming, not to mention expensive." She took a leap with the next question, "How about you? Do you go to school?"

She saw Seth open his mouth, his glare showed that a sharp remark was coming but Sara beat him to the finish line.

"My brother and I have already graduated, Tavi Wayward."

Tavi's eyes widened. When did she… She noted Jack cocking his head to one side as well. "Really?" She squeaked in surprise, "How old are you guys? And when did I-"

Again Seth made a move to speak but Sara persisted. "I am 18. My brother is 24."

Tavi nodded. She looked to Seth. He threw a glare at his sister and then turned to make eye contact with her. His glare was full of mistrust. Tavi shrunk back in discomfort. She was glad looks couldn't kill. She quickly looked to Jack as he spoke for the first time in ages.

"What about your parents?"

Sara replied, "Pardon me?"

"Are your parents gonna be okay with you guys spending all this money?" Jack asked, reminding Tavi the absurdness of the situation.

"We have previously agreed upon a financial deal." Seth replied, taking a mile a minute. "If your concern is regarding your compensation…"

"My concern," Jack cut it, "is the fact that I got a couple of kids in the back of my cab with a big wad of cash, with a drop-off location that's pretty much in the middle of nowhere." Tavi looked out the window and stared in amazement. She hadn't noticed how far out of the city they had driven. She glanced at the clock, 1:25 PM. Holy guacamole, she was going to be late for work. "Now in my book," Jack continued, "that's a little chapter called running away!"

"Jack." A voice over the radio disrupted the tense atmosphere. Tavi turned to look at the cab radio. She smiled as she recognized the voice. "You better be getting desert miles on that fare. And they better be able to pay. And you better get me an ETA! Capisce?"

Jack reached for the radio but Tavi beat him to it. She grabbed the radio and pressed the button, "Everything's fine, Dominick. Situation's completely normal. We're all fine now, thank you." She smiled towards Jack. He shook his head and smiled. She paused before speaking again, "How are you?"

She heard Dom scoff, "Just make sure Jack gets the money and an ETA, okay sweetheart? I can count on you, right?"

Jack motioned for Tavi to hand him the microphone. She smiled and handed it over.

Jack smiled and spoke into the mic, "I'm loosing reception, Dominick." He hung up the mic and turned off the radio before Dom could reply. Tavi chuckled.

Dominick Silverton was Jack's boss and an unpredictable one at that too. You never knew when he was in a good mood. However, when he did invite Jack and Tavi over to his house once every month he was always in a good mood to play a tournament of ping-pong. He was still the undefeated champion to this day. Tavi and Jack usually attended just for the sake of good food and a peaceful house to sleep over night at. Plus his wife, Linda, was very sweet and fun to chat with.

"Jack Bruno, the vehicles behind us are indicating a pattern of pursuit." Sara interrupted Tavi's thoughts with her sense of urgency.

Tavi turned to look behind them.

"There's no vehicles following-" Jack started.

"Look again, Jack." Tavi nudged his shoulder, making him look into the rear-view mirror.

Sure enough there was one –scratch that- three black SUVs driving down the road. Tavi had an uneasy feeling starting to grow in her stomach.

"At your rate of speed versus theirs, they will overtake our vehicle-"

"Relax, kid. I'm just gonna let them pass." Jack shifted in his seat and glanced towards Tavi.

Tavi made eye contact and slightly shook her head. She placed her hand in her purse, keeping eye contact the entire time.

Jack shook his head, "You better relax as well." He pushed his window down and shouted outside, "Open road, people!" He stuck his hand out the window and waved them ahead, "It's all yours."

Tavi watched as the first SUV began driving by them, it lingered for a moment near Seth's window but then passed them by. Tavi released a sigh of relief.

"What did I tell you? Nobody's following us." He looked to Tavi and then to Sara. "I'm the king of these roads."

Tavi smiled.

"Jack Bruno!" Sara shouted and pointed ahead of them.

Tavi stared ahead to see the SUV swerve to block the road.

* * *

**\\~Author's Note~/**

**Hope you guys are liking it. Please ****review if so! The next installment should be up this Saturday.**

**This week I am finishing up my summer Physics class (That's right, I took a summer science class -what was I thinking?) so I should get back to studying. But seriously, did you guys know that the universe is 13.8 Billion years old? And we can see (thanks to very powerful telescopes) 13.4 billion years into the past in space? That's just crazy!**

**Okay, back to the story. What are your thoughts so far? Where'd Tavi get the gun anyway? Should there be a romance between Tavi and Seth?**

**Until Saturday then.**

**REVIEW**

**No pressure of course.**


	3. Crazy Ride

"Jack!" Tavi yelled and pulled the gun from her purse. She swerved around in her seat to watch the other SUVs.

"I know. I know!" Jack shouted back and glanced at the gun. "No shooting. You hear me, Tavi? I don't want any bullets flying."

Tavi checked her gun and cocked it, "Only if they start first." She looked behind them again, "Watch out, they're-" Tavi slammed back into her chair as they were rear-ended from behind by one of the SUVs.

Jack steered the car to spin in a 360-degree angle and then swerved around the first black car, back in the front of the line.

"I said I was out, and I meant it!" Jack yelled as he kept an eye on the cars.

"He can't stand the idea of someone else making the calls." Tavi shouted back at him. She nodded to the gun, "There's only one way to end this."

"Who is Mr. Wolfe, Tavi Wayward?"

Tavi whipped her head around to face Sara, "How in the world do you know his name? Or my name for that matter?"

Before anyone could answer the car lurched forward as they were once again kicked in the rear.

"Get down, now!" Jack shouted. Both Seth and Sara ducked down while Tavi remained upright.

"Tavi that means you too." Jack said quickly, still keeping an eye on the cars.

Tavi undid her seatbelt, "I'm done with hiding. Wolfe won't let us be!"

"Tavinia! Get the hell down and put the gun away!" Jack reached with one hand to grab her shoulder and push her down. He was indeed angry and ticked off. Tavi opened her mouth to protest when one of the cars slammed into her side of the car, causing her to loose her grip of the gun. She ducked instantly and hugged her legs as she heard the cab become boxed in by all three cars.

Tavi searched the floor of the car for her gun and saw it near Jack's feet. She lounged for it and sat up while rolling her window down.

"Tavi!" Jack shouted.

Tavi aimed low and fired, shot after shot, at the tires of the black SUV. A loud pop and hiss of air answered her attack as the car swerved off the road.

"Hold on." Jack instructed as he slammed on the brakes and just as quickly stepped back on the gas.

Tavi sat back up and looked behind them.

"We've still got one following us." Tavi pointed out.

Jack shook his head and sighed, "I'm so over this. Stay down. Stay down!"

All three heads immediately retreated to their cover.

Tavi checked her gun and reloaded it. As she slowly began to rise she heard a loud crash. Instantly Tavi sat up straight and turned to look through the rear windshield.

The last remaining SUV had crashed and was significantly damaged. What did it hit? Tavi didn't notice any animals or roadblocks and it certainly wasn't the taxi that caused the crash. Tavi then noticed that Seth wasn't in his seat. Tavi's eyebrows shot up as she looked behind Jack's seat to see if Seth was hiding behind that. When she couldn't see Seth there she looked to Sara.

"Jack, where" She was cut off as the taxi screeched to a halt. Caught unprepared, she dropped her gun again as she lurched forward.

"Now what?" Jack looked irritated.

"Jack what are you doing? We need to get out of here now!" Tavi grabbed Jack's shoulder and shook it. "And where is"

The car shifted to reverse automatically and began to backup, picking up speed as it went. "It's not me!" Jack said as he released the steering wheel with his hands to show that he wasn't doing anything.

"What do you mean its not you?" Tavi yelled and turned to face the back. They were approaching the crashed vehicle at a high 45 miles an hour. "Slam on the brakes!" She then looked at Sara whose hand was extended and her palm closed in a tight fist. Tavi raised an eyebrow, "And where is Seth?"

"What?" Jack asked, confused as the car skidded to a stop.

Tavi turned to reach for her gun. Jack kicked away.

"You two okay?" Jack asked, picking up the gun and glaring in Tavi's direction.

"We are…" Sara's voice faded.

"Fine!" Tavi whirled around to see Seth sitting in his seat. She froze. What the heck? "We should just keep moving." The young man spoke urgently.

Tavi opened her mouth to speak and then noticed Jack had undone his seatbelt. "Jack?"

Jack reached down and grabbed a crowbar in addition to the gun. He glared at her, "Stay in the car." He left the car door open and began to address the people in the car, "What? You didn't get the message?" He walked up to the car and began conversing with the dazed passengers in the SUV.

Tavi turned her head to look at Jack and then the siblings. "Where did you go?" She finally asked while looking at Seth.

She received another glare, no surprise there, in return. "To what are you referring to?" Was his reply.

Tavi shook her head and gave a nervous chuckle. She watched way too many science fiction movies, there was no way he could have left the car at the speed they were traveling and not hit… a car. "What did the SUV crash into?"

Before the calm looking passengers could reply, Jack got in the car and thrust the car into drive. Thankfully, the car obeyed his actions and was soon speeding down the road. It was then that Tavi noticed Jack wasn't holding her gun anymore.

Tavi tensed, "Jack, where's my gun?"

Jack remained silent and kept his eyes on the road.

"Jack?" Tavi repeated.

"I think I forgot it back at the crash." Jack replied seriously.

Tavi sputtered gibberish for a moment before pointing at him, "That wasn't yours to throw away!" She spoke through clenched teeth. "What if Wolfe and his men come back again for us, huh? What if they start shooting? You plan on charging them with a crowbar? I needed that, Jack."

"For what?" Jack asked, he sounded tick off as he glanced at her. "To kill someone? You want to hurt someone that badly? I thought you were done with guns. What do you think Willy would have said?"

Tavi froze up immediately. How dare he mention his name! How dare Jack bring up the past and throw it in her face like it meant nothing to him. Tavi felt her eyes moisten at the memory of the man, Willy. She could practically smell his fabulous cooking and taste delicious coffee cake. It was her fault that the world wouldn't know about his cooking. It was her fault his parents hated her. It was all her fault and now these two siblings almost lost their lives because of her and Jack's past. Would they ever get a break?

"How are you two holding up back there?" Jack asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"We are fine." Sara responded, calmly.

"I'm sorry we dragged you two into all this." Jack glanced at mirror.

"There's no need for you to apologize, Jack Bruno." Sara replied, pulling Tavi from her thoughts. "Or you, Tavi Wayward. Neither one of you are not always the ones to blame."

Jack paused and starred at the mirror for a few seconds. Tavi's forehead wrinkled at the odd comment.

"But the urgency of our trip has not decreased." Tavi almost let out a snort at Seth's quick reminder. He never seemed to loose focus, she'd give him that.

"Look, don't worry." Jack quickly replied, sounding apologetic. "I'll get you two where you need to go. You've earned it."

Instantly Tavi was transported into the past by that last comment by Jack. He had said that before to her –how long ago? Two years ago. It was after their first gunfight together with Wolfe's gang. They were on the run from the famous crime boss and Tavi was fighting for her life. Once the gunfight was over she began treating her wounds, she had gotten shot in the arm. Jack came forward and began to wrap a dirty cloth over the wound.

_ "Why are you helping me?" She had asked._

_ "You've earned it."_

Tavi sighed and held her hands in her lap. "J-Jack," She stuttered and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Jack reached over with his right arm and placed his hand on her shoulder. Tavi looked up to see Jack giving her an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry, we'll get through this."

Tavi nodded and gave a sad smile in return. She wasn't sure if she believed that but she shouldn't scare the passengers. Jack and her would talk about it later.

It was four hours later that Tavi realized they still had not reached their destination and questions began to reappear in Tavi's mind. She hadn't forgotten how the car had magically worked on its own back at the crash site, but how should she ask about it? Was Jack thinking about the same thing? Tavi laid her head to rest against the back of the chair. Today was such a weird day, she figured when they did go back to the city she'd just go straight to bed.

Tavi looked for her sketchbook. She found the pencil on the floor, under her seat but she couldn't find the pad of paper.

"Here." Sara's voice answered her thoughts as the woman reached to give her the sketchbook.

Tavi held the book and made eye contact with the girl. Sara smiled warmly in return.

"I like your drawings."

Tavi spun back in her seat and closed her book, her face red with embarrassment.

Jack chuckled. "There isn't one of me in there, right? She's never let anyone look through that book."

Tavi held her breath to see if Sara would give an honest answer. There were about three drawings in there of Jack. After all he was the only person she kept seeing day to day, other than her own boss and Dominick, which there were drawings of them too in there. Tavi's eyes widened as she remembered other drawings. She wondered how far Sara got in her book. Had she seen the drawing of Willy? Had she-

"Not that I could see, I did not get to see very much anyway." Sara's remark reminded Tavi she should start breathing again.

Tavi flipped back to her drawing of the two siblings and then flipped to the next page. She sketched enough of the two that she could finish the drawing tomorrow as for right now she needed to focus on something else. She began drawing one of the clocks from work and tuned out of any further conversation.

* * *

**/~Author's Note~\\**

**Soooo, whatcha think? Comment, comment, and let me know! *nudge nudge***

**Next update should be on Monday.  
**

**Ashleydiana105, thanks for the follow! I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

**Until Monday, then, have a spectacular day!**


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